File-cabinet.



- PATENTED MAY 22; 1906. I. H. A-THEY. FILE CABINET.

- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1905.

2 BHEBTH-BHEET l.

PATENTED MAY 22; 1906;

-SHEET 2.

I. H. ATHEY.

FILE CABINET.

APPIIJOATION FILED JUNE 19, 1905.

. [02 60 for W w w H 45- I Said slides are made of sheet metal stamped into a form which provides ball races 7, 8, 9,. p

I "curved bottom 17. alike, the only difierence between them being 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. ATHEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOISQASSIGNOR TO DUST PROOF FURNITURE COMPA A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FILE-CABINET.

No. 821,575. Specifleation of Letters Patent. Patented May 22,1906.

Application filed June 19. 1905. Serial No. 268,088.

The general objects of the invention are to provide slide-bearings capable of supporting a drawer in a fully-extended position or substantially outside of the case or cabinet and; which will carry the drawer in such a man ner as to eliminate binding or undue friction between the slides, drawer, or frame and to effect an arrangement which is light, strong corvrlpacaxand simple.

ith the above objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet case and drawer to which myinvention has been ap lied. I Fig. 2 'is an enlarged vertical section t ough one side of the drawer and its extension-slides and bearings, taken substantially on line 2 2, Fig. '5.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the telescopic slides or sheet-metal bearing members which sup ort the drawer. Fig.1 4'is a transverse vertica section through case and drawer. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal vertical section taken substantially on line'5 5 of Fig.

4. Fig. 6 is a similar view showin the slides pulled out 'or fully extended. Flg. 7"is an enlarged erspectlve' view showing a fragment of t e ball-race portion of one of the slides.

Referring to the drawings, 2 represents the case, and 3 the drawer roper, which is mounted upon a series ts escoping or CV61". lapping extension-slides l, 5, 6, 4/ and 6.

7',8', and 9'. The slides are substantially in thewidths of their vertical sides 10, 10

and 10". The members .7 7, 8 8, and 9 9 i have horizontal flanges 11, 12, 13 11, 125i and 13, respectively, which normally-overlie,

each other, but are held: apart toprev'ent explained hereinafter. The lower edge of friction between them, as will .be more fully each bearing member is stamped or bent into i the form of a trough, channel, or ball-race 14, having sides 15 and 16, which areinclined toward'the arched or laterally-curvedbottom 17 The under side of the bottom 17 presents a, concave hall-bearing surface upon which, the slide moves over the antifrictionballs 18 or bearing below, while the uppen side of the bottom 17. presents a convex bearing-surface, upon which the superposed slidebearing or its balls 18 moves or move. By this arrangement onl the thickness of the metal is inter osed etween the series of balls. On eac of the members 7, 8, 7.,and 8' are inwardl -projecting beadsor ridges 19 and 20, whic serve as ballretainers that confine the balls or prevent them from escapihg upwardly from the ball-race or channel 14. One end of the bottom 17 is extended@ ufpivlvardlyto and the extended portion bent provide a forward ball-stop 21, w e the 0p posite end of said bottom is likewise extended, but bent downwardly to -provide a rear stop 22, which serves to limit the outward movement of each slide, as will appearhereinafter. A stop 23 is also shown, which serves in the same capacit as the stop 21- namely, to prevent the bal sfrom rolling out at the ends of the ball-race 14; The upper bearin members 9 and 9 are attached to the usual rawer-rails 24 24. As slide-bearings 9 and 9 do not support any balls on their convex sides, but simply rest upon the balls or utilize their convex surfaces as bearings, the ribs 19 and are omitted from said bearings; otherwise they are no different from bearings77and88. p The entire series of bearings, comprising 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, and 9,"are carried upon stationary sheet-metal ball-races orshde-sup orts 25 25, which rest on the usual side ra s 26 26, secured to each inner wall of the ballrace portions of slides 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, and 9'-,or

the ball-race 14, shown Fig. 3,) comprisin walls'15 and 16, eads or two balls are. spacedapart by means of s acers '27, which may be emplo ed" in s orter lengths where more than two balls I i'ibs 19 and 20, an 3 As shown in the several .views the are necessary for are used. After the initial opening and closingmovements of the slides the antifrictionballs will of course remain the proper relative distances apart regardless of the'spacers. 5 I do not, however, wish to be confined to this particular method of spacing theballs apart, as I may prefer to employ other devices for that purpose.

It will be seen by reference to Fi 7 that 10 the peculiar construction of the bal -race 14 provides two bearingoints for the balls namely, at 28 on the'side 15 or .at 28 on the opposite side and atvthe apex'29 of the convexsideof bottom 17. The diameter of each 15 "ball l8-iszinthe plane of the horizontal axes .ofuthe balls a. little less than the-width be- .tween the sides or walls. 15 and 16 of the ball- ..races, inorder to prevent said balls .fromtouching both-sides at once. Two ball traoksor rails, asit were, are thus provided .mthe ball.-racenamely, along the apex of .the convexside of bottom 17 and alon a line touching .one of thesides of .the ba] -'race,

While the under or-concave side ofthe ballrace bottom 17 immediately above forms the upper or third bearing; int, making a three- .pointbearing. for eac b all .18.

The vertical sides 10, 10, and 10", of the extension-slides; are spaced apart slightly or sufiiclently .to keep ,them from rubbing ,against each'other. when the balls are suppgfted on .the two lower bearing-points or l-tracksreferredi to as compr' bearing- .pomts-28 and 29. 013284 .and'29, w 'ch bear- 3siing-pomts serve also as lateral thrust-bearingsrsupporting the weight of the drawer and .shdes laterally aswell as in a vertical direction, thus confining'the. friction to that which takes ace-between said sides near the horio. z.onta flanges 11, 11', 12, 12', 13, and 13.

.Thei-latter need not touch each other at all,

.nor need .they touch the side of .the case -2 .,when the-parts are accuratel adjusted. A

--side rail. 26,--is-secured.to eac A inner vertical 4 5,.wall .ofrthe case. immediatel 'abovesaid horizontal-flanges, between which and'the lower ..-r'ails orslxde-bearings26 and 26 the two sets .ofextension-slides. are .held against tilting,

while serving as, tracks for the moving slides. rlnorder to obtain free andeasy movement .of..;the extensionwslides it is necessary that :there should. be. no binding or bending strain between said slides while Ithey-move and .ithat. .theslide or slides shall during their sswmovement al I their bearings rest with them-whole weig t or weights u on said bearings untll-theyre'ach the ends 0 their respectwo-paths and in turn become stationary -..traelrsnr.slide-supports. 'For'thep .ose of 6q .-.g1 ving1sueh support to the moving sli es and .to themtorest entirely upon the balls underneath. the. .slide, I the outward .rnovement of .each slide to less than one-half :utalangth. This prevents it .from progress. 6 5 ing to a point where its center'of. gravity is' bearing telescpped the slide 5 and have carried the overweight of slide 6 and 5 within the end of slide 4. Slides 5 and 6 willthen be released." 'fi'om binding between flanges ll and 12 'and be. free to move over. slide 4 on its bearing. 7 untilthe center of gravity has been carried 0.

carried beyond the end of the stationary slide or slide-bearing. I also arrange the slides to move in consecutive order, the slide last to move serving as stationary bearing for the slide whose next turn it is to move. Then the latter slide takes up the extension movement and comes to a stand still just before it reaches the overbalancing. point, or where the center of gravity would e carried beyond the foremost ball. In Figs. 1 and 2 the arrangement for effecting this consecutive movement is clearly shown. A description of the operation of slides 4, 5,- and 6 will serve for both sides or series of slides. The slide 6 on one side of the drawer is provided with a stud, projection, or pin 30, which when all of the slides are telescoped or overlapeach other in the closed position of the drawer occupies apertures 31 and 32 in slides 5 and 4, respectively, the slide 4 being the outside slide. When said slide t'ogether with slides 5 and 6, have been drawn forward until the stop 22 on slide 4 reaches the end of the path of spacer. 27, the drawer or slides 5 and 6 cannot move farther unless the pin or 0 stud 30 is released from one of the slides. The engagement of pin 30 with aperture 32 or slide 4 being the point ofleast resistance, (the slide 5 being outside of slide 6,) the pin or stud 30 will slip out of the aperture 32 and 9 5 permit slides 5 and 6 to move together as a unit until the stop 22 on slide 5 has reached the end of its path,- when the pin '30.must yield its engagement of the a erture 31 and permit slide 6 to move upont e'slide '5. As shown in Fig. 6, less than one-half the length of each slide is drawn over the slide or bear ing underneath, the slide 4 be' stop ed before its overwelght is beyond 't e en of its bearing 25. Then hearing or ball-race 7 becomes stationary and 5 and 6 moye together thereon until'slide'5 has been arrested in its outward movement by its stop 22 when slide 6 will move on the now'stationary bearing 8 to the endof its path, or before its center of gravity has passed the end of 'shde 5. In

this manner any number of slides can be employed and the extension carried on. indefinitely, the moving slide or slides always travcling, as it were, upon its or their own wheels 1 r 5 and resting firmly upon thestationary track. When the return movement takes placefthe same action will control, because the outer ends of slides 4 and 5 being overweighted by slides 6 6 'and' drawer 3'the flanges 11 and 12 will obviously be caused to bind against each other and hold slides 4 and 5 stationary,

while slide 13, which is not overbalanced on 8, will move easily until it shall have of telescoping extension-slides, ball-bearings for said slides, and means for supportlng said slides upon each other so that the ball bearing portions thereof will be held apart to prevent frictional slide contact.

2. The combination, with a cabinet case and drawer, of a plurality of telescopic slides,

ball-bearings for said slides, said bearings be-, ing constructed to provide three-point bearings for said balls.

3. In combination, slide-supports, a plurality of extension-slides mounted on said slide-supports to move thereupon and upon each other, the intermediate of said extension-slides 'having sheet-metal bearings or ball-races provided with bottoms which serve as movable slidebearings for the respective slides and as stationary ball-races for superposed extension-slides.

4. The combination, with a drawer or the like, of slide-supports, a plurality of slides all normally overlying said slide-supports and drawer, but' extensible to support said drawer beyond the ends of said slide-supports, means for limiting the outward movement of each slide, and means for interlocking, said slides so that they will move together as a unit, said means permitting release of each slide from interlocking engagement with its companion slide or slides when it reaches the end of its outward path of movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ISAAC H. ATHEY. 

